As a part of district-wide emergency preparedness planning, elementary schools are asking parents to prepare an eight-hour emergency “comfort kit” for their children. The kits, which will be stored in the child’s classroom, are designed to help both kids and parents stay calm when they are separated in an emergency.
Kits should be enclosed in a one gallon freezer zip-lock bag labeled with the child’s name. Parents should include the following items in the bag: High-energy food items, including granola bars, trail mix or dried fruit, and comfort foods such as hard candies or cookies; a sealed bottle of water or a supply of drinking water packets; a note of comfort for the child to read – or have read to them – and a family photo; a mini-flashlight with batteries or 12-hour light stick; entertainment items such as a travel game, deck of cards, crayons and a coloring book, etc.; and an emergency space blanket or 30-gallon garbage bag.
